Employment : New Programme for Social Change and Innovation

Employment : New Programme for Social Change and Innovation

The European Commission proposes to maintain, with roughly the same budget, the EURES portal on employment mobility, the EU Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity and the Progress Microfinance Facility over the period 2014-2020. It suggests, however, that the scope of these three initiatives should be expanded and merged into the new Programme for Social Change and Innovation (PSCI). It presented a proposal to this effect on 6 October.

The PSCI would build on the three existing programmes (or areas) and would have an allocation of 958.19 million, distributed as follows: 60% for analysis and social innovation (Progress), 15% for workers' mobility (EURES) and 20% for microfinance and social entrepreneurship. The remaining 5% would be divided up on an annual basis depending on the priorities of the moment.

The draft regulation will now be transmitted to the European Parliament and the Council for approval.

THREE AREAS OF ACTION

Three areas of action are planned. The first will continue the activities of the existing Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (Progress), namely: analysis, mutual learning and grants. It will also support innovation and social experimentation, ie testing of innovative policies on a small scale before applying them on a larger scale. This area will have a budget of 574 million (compared with 683.25 million for 2007-2013), of which 97 million will be allocated to experimental projects.

The second focus of work will be the EURES network, which provides information, advice and recruitment/employment services to workers and employers, as well as to any citizen wishing to take advantage of the right of free movement of persons. …

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